I have an HP Laptop with Windows Vista. I have had problems with spyware and viruses and such and now the thing runs slowly in whatever i am doing. How do i restore to original factory settings?
I understand there may be "better" solutions, but i really don't mind restoring to original settings and losing all the data on the disk. I've already backed up all my important files i want to save.

You should have received a disc with the computer that would have the appropriate restore functions; there may be a partition with another restore solution, but I've never actually used that so I don't know how it works.

I have an HP Laptop with Windows Vista. I have had problems with spyware and viruses and such and now the thing runs slowly in whatever i am doing. How do i restore to original factory settings?
I understand there may be "better" solutions, but i really don't mind restoring to original settings and losing all the data on the disk. I've already backed up all my important files i want to save.

when you first power on the machine (assuming it's either a dv2000, dv6000, or dv9000, or hdx9000), hit F11 on the keyboard repeatedly until the recovery screen pops up. Click on advanced options, click system recovery, then click OK when prompted. the recovery process will begin and take about 25 minutes on a 5400rpm hard drive. then you must reinstall everything that isn't factory.

NOTE: THIS WILL ERASE ALL DATA THAT ISN'T PREINSTALLED. AFTER THE RECOVERY, YOU MUST INSTALL THE INTERNET SOFTWARE, VIRUS SOFTWARE, ALL UPDATES (THERE'LL BE A LOT!!), AND PERSONAL SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE. BACK UP ALL DATA BEFORE YOU BEGIN. ONCE THE RECOVERY PROCESS STARTS, IT CANNOT BE STOPPED, OR THE SYSTEM WILL GET CORRUPTED. :(

Hopefully this will help.

P.S. Give this recovery process about a day to get it over with. Don't rush it for best results, and use pc decrapifier to remove all the bloatware and trial ware installed by hp on your pc.

UPDATE: I got this directly from the hp site!! The information is exact

This document pertains to HP Notebook PCs with Windows Vista.
Key Functions of the Recovery Manager
The HP Backup and Recovery Manager functions can help you with the following activities.
Create a recovery disk to back up the operating system and programs on the hard drive, and recover the hard drive on the PC to its original condition.
Install or restore individual software programs and device drivers to return the PC to operating condition.
Check the condition of the files on the hard drive.
Access the Microsoft Restore utility.
Remove the recovery partition to reclaim space on the hard drive.
Deciding when to create the recommended Recovery Disks
HP recommends that you create a set of operating system Recovery Disks for your notebook PC when you have set up the PC. The HP Backup and Recovery Manager prompts you to create a set of recovery CDs or DVDs when you first set up and start your PC. You may want to postpone the process and install your programs before creating the disks. In the event of a hard drive crash or system corruption, you can use the Recovery Disks to restore your system to its original condition.
Only one set of Recovery Disks can be created, and the disks are specific to individual PCs. The disks will not restore the operating system to another PC.
Creating the Recovery disks
The Recovery Manager examines your PC and determines how many blank CDs or DVDs the disk creation process will require. The disk creation process may require up to 10 or more CD-R disks or 1-3 DVD-R or DVD+R disks.
CAUTION: The disk must be either CD-R, DVD-R, or DVD+R. Do not use CD-RW or DVD-RW disks because the Read/Write type disks will cause the creation process to fail.

Create a set of operating system Recovery disks by following the steps below.
Click Start and type Recovery in the Search field.
Select Recovery Manager , and when the wizard opens, click the Advanced options button, if available.
Select Recovery disk Creation , and follow the directions provided in the wizard.
After all the recovery disks are created, label the disks and store them in a safe place.
Using the Recovery disks
In the event of a failure or corruption of the hard disk, the recovery disks, or in some cases the HP Recovery Manager program itself, can restore your PC to its original factory condition. Because the Recovery process removes all software and files that you have placed on the hard drive since first starting the notebook, HP recommends:
Perform all the other troubleshooting options before doing a complete system recovery.
Perform a complete backup of all your important data and files before starting the recovery.
Restore PC to original condition with the Recovery Manager from within Windows Vista
If the PC can access Windows, use the Recovery Manager to restore the PC to the original factory condition by following the steps below.
Click Start and type Recovery in the Search field.
Select Recovery Manager , and when the wizard opens, click the Advanced options button.
Select System Recovery . The PC will restart.
When the Recovery Manager appears again, select Advanced options (if available); if not, click Next , then again select System Recovery .
When prompted to use the File backup wizard to back up your computer files, HP recommends that you select this option and backup the files now.
When prompted to use the Microsoft System Restore program, select No and click Next .
When prompted to use the System Recovery , select Yes and click Next .
The final task is to make the decision to start the recovery by clicking Next .
WARNING: This is a critical point. On this screen, when you click Next , the PC will immediately begin formatting the hard drive and destroy all data. The restore process cannot be stopped.

The recovery process will return your PC to the condition it was in when you created your Recovery Disks. You must reinstall any programs or hardware and software updates.
Restore PC to original condition with the Recovery Manager if Windows Vista cannot be accessed
If the PC cannot access Windows, use Recovery Manager to restore the hard drive by following the steps below.
Press F11 on the keyboard immediately while the PC is starting up. The HP Backup and Recovery Manager window will appear.
If the Recovery Manager can access the hard drive it displays a prompt to backup up your user files before continuing the recovery. If it cannot access the hard drive to fix the system errors, the Recovery Manager starts recovering the hard drive to its original condition.
Restore PC to original condition with the Recovery Disk
If the PC cannot access Windows, use the Recovery Disk to boot the PC and restore the hard drive.
The Recovery Manager function on the Recovery Disk examines the condition of the hard drive and attempts to fix any system errors to allow the PC to start and run in Windows. If the disk area used by the HP Recovery Manager is corrupted, the Recovery Manager cannot repair the errors. The Recovery Manager will read the information from the Recovery Disk and restore the drive to its original condition.
Use the Recovery disk to restore the PC by following the steps below.
Open the disk drive door and turn the PC off.
Insert the first Recovery Disk in the disk drive and close the door.
Press the power button to turn on the PC.
The HP Backup and Recovery Manager window will appear during the boot process.
If the Recovery Manager can access the hard drive it displays a prompt to backup up your user files before continuing the recovery. If it cannot access the hard drive to fix the system errors, the Recovery Manager starts recovering the hard drive to its original condition.
Follow the prompts to insert any additional recovery disks in the disk drive.
Obtain and install updates
After you have restored your PC to its original factory template condition, it is extremely important to obtain and install updates for your PC and the software that has come out since the manufacture date of your PC. You should use the HP Drivers and Downloads page to search for updates relating to HP Update, HP Health Check, QuickPlay. You should also search for an updated BIOS and any updated device drivers.
You should also obtain and install updates for your anti-virus and spyware utilities as soon as possible.
Access the Microsoft Restore utility
The Recovery Manager can access the Microsoft Restore utility that allows you to return the PC hard drive to an earlier state in time. The first time you attempt to recover the system, the Recovery Manager prompts you to use the Microsoft Restore.
Use the Recovery Manager to access the Restore utility by following the steps below.
Click Start and type Recovery in the Search field.
Select Recovery Manager , and when the wizard opens, click the Advanced options button.
Select Microsoft System Recovery and click Next .
If there are no specified recovery points, the system prompts you to open System Protection and create a restore point, and Turn System Restore on.
If there are one or more Recovery points available, select a Date and Time when the PC was operating correctly, and click Next .
Allow the PC to restart to complete the Microsoft System Restore.
Install specific drivers or applications
You can install individual hardware and software drivers and additional applications one at a time using the HP Backup and Recovery Manager. Several applications are factory-installed on the PC. Consult the manufacturer's installation instructions for any third-party programs purchased separately.
Install an individual driver or application by following the steps below.
Click Start and type Recovery in the Search field.
Select Recovery Manager , and when the wizard opens, click the Advanced options button.
Select Software program re-installation or Hardware driver re-installation , and click Next , view the prompt and Next .
Select the desired program or driver from the list, and click Next .
Allow the PC to restart if necessary to complete the installation.
Check the condition of the PC
The Recovery Manager can access the Microsoft utilities to check the condition of the memory, and files on the hard drive. The utility automatically corrects errors before they cause serious problems. Perform a Computer Checkup by following the steps below.
Click Start and type Recovery in the Search field.
Select Recovery Manager , and when the wizard opens, click the Advanced options button.
Select Computer Checkup .
Select the desired type of checkup from the list, and click Next to begin.
Microsoft Memory Test - PC will restart to perform the test.
Check Disk for the Windows Partition - Runs CHKDSK on the primary partition.
Check Disk for the WinRE Partition - Runs CHKDSK on the partition reserved for the Recovery Manager partition.
Open a Command Prompt - Opens a Command Prompt window so you can run additional Windows utilities. Logon as the Administrator to run the utilities.
Removing the Recovery Partition
HP does not recommend the removal of the recovery partition from your hard drive. If you have a critical need for the disk space, see HP Notebook PCs - Uninstalling the Recovery Manager .

This version of recovery disks doesn't contain the crapware from HP
You will need to install drivers, to do this go to http://welcome.hp.com/country/us/en/support.html type in your model number and click Windows Vista, those are your drivers.
Hope that helped!

This version of recovery disks doesn't contain the crapware from HP
You will need to install drivers, to do this go to http://welcome.hp.com/country/us/en/support.html type in your model number and click Windows Vista, those are your drivers.
Hope that helped!

Sorry for the delay no its not helped me i need a set of recovery disks for a uk c700 (c773ea) and im on a really tight budget lol could any 1 help?

Another way to approach this, depending on the model of PC, is to FIND that hidden partition on your hard drive (assuming you HAVE a restoration partition built-in). You use some kind of partition manager like fdisk, or Ghosts' GDisk, and unhide the partition and execute a recovery from THAT. just don't over-write the partition in the process of your recovery attempts, after it's un-hidden. Not all PC's have a restoration partition.

I'm having problems with my HP Pavillion laptop DV 2500,as I attempted to reformat it using recovery disc ordered from HP.Needless to say after waiting three hrs. for the full recovery,the recovery attempt failed.Can someone tell me what to do now,as my laptop is in an unusable state.